I WOKE bleary-eyed at 5.15 a.m. last Saturday under a duvet on the sofa, and a couple of minutes of intense activity later rolled back over with a satisfied look on my face.

She had done it again: the “she” being Australian mare Winx, who had made it 21 wins in a row in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, shown on ATR to Irish and British racing fans and insomniacs alike.